STAR recruit Patrick Dangerfield has decided to wear the No. 35 guernsey at the Cats. 

The number fits nicely with Dangerfield’s decision to return ‘home’, as he wore No. 35 when playing in the TAC Cup with the Geelong Falcons in 2007 and 2008.

Dangerfield is following in the footsteps of some other great wearers of the No. 35 jumper at Geelong.

Champion rover Billy Goggin wore the number in each of the 248 games that he played for the Cats between 1958 and 1971.

Goggin was a member of Geelong’s 1963 premiership side.

At that time, his claim to fame was his ability to rove ‘Polly’ Farmer’s taps and deliver the ball with precision to gun full-forward Doug Wade. 

Goggin also won the club’s best and fairest in 1967 and 1970 and captained the team between 1968 and 1971.

He was named as rover in the Cats’ Team of the Century and was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2000.

The most recent champion to wear No. 35 at Geelong was Paul Chapman.

A tough and skilful half-forward/midfielder, ‘Chappy’ was a superstar in the Cats’ golden era. 

He played in the 2007, 2009 and 2011 premierships, winning the Norm Smith Medal after a brilliant performance in the ’09 Grand Final. 

All up, Chapman played 251 games for Geelong over 14 seasons.

He won the ‘Carji’ Greeves Medal in 2006 and was selected in the All Australian team in 2009 and 2010.

So Dangerfield will be following in some very illustrious footsteps when he pulls on his new No. 35 guernsey.

And the fact he wore the number with the Falcons just adds to the feeling that he has chosen well.